Report: Apple to announce iMessage for Android at WWDC

A report from MacDailyNews suggests that Apple will unveil an iMessage app for Android at WWDC. The site references a “a source familiar with the company’s thinking,” though cautions the timing is in flux and an announcement could actually come later.

Such a move is less the shocker now than it might have been in the past, given that Apple has three official apps in Google Play: Apple Music, Beats Pill, and Move to iOS (of course the latter is designed to get you off Android).

There’s already plenty to look forward to at WWDC, but this adds another layer of intrigue that’s worth watching out for.

Why this matters: Apple may be interested in doing this now that messaging has become a platform for monetization. Facebook Messenger is one of many cross-platform services that now supports bots and payments. Apple is potentially leaving a lot of money on the table by keeping iMessage proprietary—if not through ads, then through bots, person-to-person Apple Pay money transfers, etc. Plus there’s more competition coming with Google’s Allo later this year, which may have spurred Apple to go all in with the messaging wars.

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